Being Twenty-Nine: Out with the Toxic

I once read a quote somewhere that said something along the lines of you being the CEO of your life. This was contextualized in that way for saying that you should feel free to promote, demote, and fire people from your life.

I took this to heart and have since decided to “break up” with jealous relatives, negative friendships, fake colleagues, and just generally any toxic relationship around me.

You don’t owe anyone anything, and if they’re only bringing you down, diminishing your shine, and hurting your spirit, you don’t need them around you. It doesn’t matter if they’re relatives or childhood acquaintances, if they don’t bring anything good into your life, you should let (or make) them go.

As much as I now perceive jealousy as an ego-boost (talk about turning negatives into positives), I don’t need that kind of energy around me. I only want good vibes, as they say.

Someone once said you become the average of the people you surround yourself with, so surround yourself with those full of light, those who are optimistic, those who dream big and have plans, those try to lift you up, those are grateful.

You wouldn’t stay with bad, and abusive boyfriend, right? (At least I hope you wouldn’t) So why should the rest of people in your life get a different treatment?

Make an assessment and stick to your guns:

Does this person make me feel good when they’re around?

Does this person help me grow, personally, spiritually or professionally?

Do I like who I become when I’m around them?

Is this someone who would sincerely cheer for me to accomplish my dreams?

Is this someone who genuinely feels happy when things go well for me?

Is this someone who I know would never backstab me?

If the answer to any of those is “no”, you should reconsider inviting that person into your circle. Keep your circle small and positive.

And remember you don’t owe anyone anything. No matter who they are.

This post is part of a series where I’ll be reflecting on what I’ve learned in my 20s. You can read the intro here.